I. Technical Field
The present invention relates to methods and systems for inputting data in a computer system.
II. Background Information
Computer systems, when executing a computer program, may provide a user-interface. The user interface may include a graphical program interface that is part of the executing computer program. The graphical program interface has one or more input controls for a user to input data into the computer system. In such a system, the user-interface also may include a control for a user to open another graphical interface, such as a context sensitive menu located outside the graphical program interface. Such a context sensitive menu is often referred to as a pop-up menu. In the pop-up menu, information about the selected input control may be shown or data may be presented to the user that is suitable to be inserted at a selected input control. A pop-up menu of this type is also known in the art as a context-sensitive menu because it displays information relating to the selected input control or data suitable to be input at the selected input control.
However, the pop-up menu is inconvenient because it inhibits the user from using the program interface. In other words, the user cannot use the program interface unless he closes the pop-up menu. Furthermore, the pop-up menu is inconvenient because the pop-up menu may obscure a part of the graphical program interface. This is especially the case when a large amount of data is suitable to be inserted at the input control and the pop-up menu has relatively large dimensions. Another inconvenient aspect is that the pop-up menu may obscure the input control, which prevents the user from viewing the input control and thus prevents the user from determining what type of data should be inserted at the input control.